


Second chance

by PinkLotus (EspurrsVena)



Category: JO1 (Japan Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Near Death Experiences, One-Sided Attraction, Sequel, fox bros being actual bros, no beta we die like real men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28197549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspurrsVena/pseuds/PinkLotus
Summary: Each time Sukai had talked about the guy who broke his heart, who was only recently revealed to be Takumi, Shosei couldn’t help but want to help him to ease the pain. Yet Sukai’s heart was still too broken to let anyone in, thus he stayed quiet and supported him as a friend.Looking back, Shosei was surprised that he didn’t develop Hanahaki, too. He met all conditions, yet destiny had been kinder to him. However, a small part of him wished that it had been him and not Sukai who had gotten it. He still wanted to take the pain from him and the whole thing had caused pain to so many more people who didn’t deserve it. Something that wouldn’t have happened if it had been Shosei.Sequel to "Let me be the flowers that bring you happiness"
Relationships: Kawanishi Takumi/Kawashiri Ren, Kinjo Sukai/Ohira Shosei
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Second chance

The moment Sukai dropped on the floor and flowers didn’t stop coming out of his mouth, Shosei was close to dropping his camera. He was supposed to document the wedding of Sukai’s brother, Ren, and his fiancée and Sukai’s ex crush, Takumi, but in this moment he wasn't able to use his equitment, fear freezing his body. This amount of flowers could only mean one thing: an acute case of Hanahaki and it might be too late for his friend already. 

The other guests noticed the same and the ceremony was stopped. It was no surprise that right after Syoya and Shion who were seated right next to Sukai, Ren had rushed to his younger brother's side. Takumi, meanwhile, was also frozen by the shock. And Shosei himself... He had no idea what he should do. He wanted to rush to Sukai, too, but there were so many people around him and a doctor was called already, too. Taking pictures of the situation was also wrong. 

Having no better idea what to do, he moved closer to Takumi and tried to comfort the groom. Shosei didn’t know whether Takumi knew the truth about Sukai’s feelings for him, but the whole situation was shocking anyway. It was supposed to be the happiest day in his and Ren’s life.  
“Let’s get out of here.”, Shosei said while guiding the groom to the lobby where he could sit down. 

The pink haired groom didn’t say anything the whole time, but Shosei could feel that he was trembling. He didn’t really know Takumi, thus he had no idea how to comfort him, but he couldn’t get Ren in that moment, because Sukai needed him more. Or maybe it was the way around. That Ren needed to be with his brother in his final moments. 

Shosei hoped of course that Sukai would survive, but the amount of flowers he had seen made him fear the worst. Also, it was the same ones that Sukai had used as a decoration for the venue. Now the blonde one understood why his friend was hesitating to use those flowers besides their “cheap” origin. Knowing that he suffered from that disease explained a lot about his recent behaviour actually. 

After an eternity seemed to have passed, the ambulance arrived finally and they took Sukai with them. In the short moment that they passed, Shosei saw that the other one was still throwing up flowers and his body was shacking. As scary as the picture was, it meant that Sukai was still alive. There was still hope for him. 

Also, Ren was right behind them. Only shortly he stopped to hug and kiss Takumi. “I need to go to his home and get his clothes and everything else. You go home, okay?”  
Takumi was still unable to talk, but he nodded.  
“Junki will drive you. Okay? I will be home soon.” 

Shosei didn’t know Ren well either, but he could see how shaken the other one was, too. Normally, a smile always grazed his face, especially when his fiancée was close, but his eyes were red and puffy and even when he tried to smile at the pink haired one, it didn’t really show on his face.  
But it was no surprise. Seeing your brother nearly dying at your own wedding must be traumatic. 

After another hug of the nearly wed ones, Junki came along and took Takumi with him, but Ren seemed insecure what to do next. If Shosei correctly remembered some trivia Sukai had told him about his brother, he didn’t have a driver’s licence.  
“I can drive you to his apartment if you want.” There was some urge inside of him to feel useful in that moment that made him offer this. Furthermore, he knew the way because he, Shion and Syoya had spend the night at their friend's place.  
“Thank you.” 

Not many words were exchanged on the way to Sukai’s apartment. Also, when Ren packed clothes and everything else that was necessary for a hospital stay, he didn’t say much, thus it came a surprise when the older brother finally started talking.  
“It’s my fault. I should have noticed earlier. How could I be that stupid? I nearly killed my brother with my selfishness.”  
“Don’t blame yourself. It had been his choice not to say anything.” 

The whole time Shosei had seen the conflict in Sukai’s eyes. His one-sided love for Takumi on the one hand and seeing his brother’s happiness on the other one. Shosei didn’t want to trade places with his friend, yet he wanted to ease his worries but he never knew how. Actually, since the day he had met Sukai he wanted to ease the sadness the other one was carrying. 

“But I am his brother. I should have noticed something. It was supposed to be a happy day, but instead... instead I might lose him today.” The whole time the two of them of them were together, Ren hadn’t shed any tears, but now he was crying a river while holding a hoodie from his younger brother.  
Not knowing what else he should do, Shosei hugged him. “He won’t blame you for this. It was his choice.” 

For some reason, Shosei was surprised that he wasn’t crying yet. He did feel like he was about to cry, too, but he stayed strong first for Takumi and now for Ren. He barely knew them, but he knew that they were important people in Sukai’s life, thus he tried to give them the comfort they needed. 

It took a bit until Ren was ready to go to the hospital. Once more Shosei offered to drive him, besides the other one insisting that he could take a taxi this time. But Shosei also wanted to see Sukai – either to welcome him back in life or to say goodbye to him. 

Ren’s and Sukai’s mother was already waiting for their oldest to come back. “They are still in the middle of the surgery to extract the flowers.”  
“So, he has a chance?”, Ren’s voice was still trembling, but there was a slight hope.  
“It’s a small but yes.” 

Maybe that was the moment for Shosei to leave, but he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay and know whether Sukai could be saved or not. He might not be family, but Sukai mattered to him – more than he ever confessed to anyone. 

The waiting time was antagonising long, but eventually Sukai was pushed out of the surgery room and the heart monitor showed a heartbeat and there was a slight movement of his chest. Both Ren and his mother started to cry again – this time from relief – and Shosei could also feel a stone dropping from his heart. Sukai would live. It hadn’t been too late. 

Together with the family members, Shosei moved to the room where Sukai was supposed to stay until he recovered. He still felt out of place in a way, but no one said a word. Ren and his mother were on the sides of the bed and Shosei stood near the window watching over them. Because the others were both focused on the sleeping patient, the blonde one contact everyone to deliver the news of Sukai’s survival. 

Yet at the same time he knew that the pain wasn’t over yet. The whole thing had taken a toll on everyone who shared the knowledge of what happened and Shosei felt sorry for Ren and Takumi. He wondered if their bond was strong enough to survive that. 

"You should go home to your husband, Ren. You surely need each other right now more than Sukai needs you.”, their mother suddenly said.  
“I don’t know. I feel like I should stay.” Shosei could hear the guilt in Ren’s voice.  
“Ren, you need rest and Takumi didn’t seem well earlier, too. Go home.” Maybe it wasn't his place to speak in the moment, but the blonde one agreed to the mother of his friend.

“I don’t know..” Was it the guilt that hold the older one back or something else? Shosei wondered. But it was obvious that he needed rest, so he continued to insist.  
“Ren, go home. When Sukai wakes up, I’m sure he doesn’t want to see you with red eyes. An extraction means he loses all memories connected to the incident, doesn’t it? He won’t know what happened anyway.”  
“I think you are right.” It took another moment of hesitating until Ren finally let go of his brother’s hand and said goodbye to his mother and Shosei. 

At the same time Shosei knew that he should go home, too. He was still in the suit for the ceremony and he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, but something glued him to Sukai’s side.  
“You are one of his friends from his year abroad. Shosei, right?” Only when Sukai’s mother started to talk to him, he realised that he never introduced himself to her.  
“Yes, I’m sorry. My name is Ohira Shosei and yes, we studied together abroad. I don’t live far, so Sukai asked me whether I could take the photos of the wedding.” 

“It’s alright. You don’t need to apologise.” The woman’s smile was as warm as Sukai had described it. “I’m glad he had found some good friends there. You know, I was worried about him going abroad all alone. Since their father had left us, he always clung to Ren’s side. But hearing the stories of his adventures and seeing him happy on the pictures made me feel reassured. I had hoped that he had finally found his own way but now this...”  
“He will be fine. The extraction has worked.” It couldn’t be said for sure yet, but the monitor showed a steady heartbeat and his chest also didn’t stop moving so far. Everything indicated towards his survial. 

“Do you know who was the cause?”  
As Sukai’s friend he knew the truth, but he wasn’t sure whether he should tell the truth. There was a reason why Sukai had kept it as a secret from his family and he didn’t want to strain the relationships among them any further. That Ren’s and Takumi’s marriage had started with such a catastrophe was already bad enough. “I have no idea. He had mentioned that he had a crush on someone but he never revealed who it was.” 

“I understand. I always hoped that my boys will be luckier than me. Takumi seems like a sweet guy and Ren is head over heels for him and of course I hope the same for my other son.”  
“I hope so, too.” Each time Sukai had talked about the guy who broke his heart, who was only recently revealed to be Takumi, Shosei couldn’t help but want to help him to ease the pain. Yet Sukai’s heart was still too broken to let anyone in, thus he stayed quiet and supported him as a friend. 

Looking back, Shosei was surprised that he didn’t develop Hanahaki, too. He met all conditions, yet destiny had been kinder to him. However, a small part of him wished that it had been him and not Sukai who had gotten it. He still wanted to take the pain from him and the whole thing had caused pain to so many more people who didn’t deserve it. Something that wouldn’t have happened if it had been Shosei. 

“Please continue to take care of him after he wakes up.” There was something in the woman’s eyes as if she had read Shosei’s thoughts earlier and knew about his feelings. He knew that look; Sukai had the same one when he figured out his opponent.  
“Of course, I will do that.” 

Eventually the visiting time ended and they both had to leave. Shosei offered Sukai’s mother to drive her home, but she declined. But she told him that he and the rest of the group were always welcome to visit Sukai in the hospital during his stay, thus Shosei decided that he would visit him on the next day again. 

It felt wrong to return to Sukai’s apartment without him again, but he, Syoya and Shion had stayed at this place the night before – they were broke college students who couldn’t afford a hotel - and the other two had informed him that after the cancelled celebration they had returned there. Going to their respective homes wasn’t an option either. They needed their friends to proceed everything now. 

“Has he woken up?”, was the first thing Shion asked after Shosei entered the apartment.  
“No not yet. But he is stable and breathing.”  
“That’s good.” 

The other two boys had ordered junk food and alcohol and it was one of the rare moments when the blonde one craved those things. He usually took care of a balanced diet, but that day had been too much. “Did you hear anything of the grooms?”, he asked while munching a slice of pizza. The other two also weren’t that close to them, but after the delivering the news of the successful operation Shosei hadn’t checked his phone anymore. 

“I’ve talked to that tall guy earlier, Keigo was his name, I think? And Takumi seems to be quite broken. I think he knows.”, Syoya explained.  
“That Keigo guy or Takumi?”, Shion asked.  
“Takumi of course. But damn.. I don’t want to be in his or Ren’s place. I wonder whether their marriage can become happy now.” 

That was something Shosei wondered about, too. It was an obvious shadow in their relationship no matter the context. Seeing your brother or your brother-in-law nearly die during your ceremony was traumatising already, but knowing that you are responsible for that makes it even worse. Shosei had no idea whether he would be able to move on. “I hope they can. It’s the last thing Sukai would have wanted. He loves them both.” 

Already during their time abroad, Shosei had understood how much Sukai admired his older brother. The brown haired one always had talked fondly about him and he had been excited when his brother had announced that he had found a special someone – besides his own broken heart. After the few times he had met Ren, Shosei truly felt like that both brothers were two sides of the same coin which was only proven further by them falling for the same person. 

“I hope he wakes up soon, so that the mess can be fixed. Stuff like that makes me want to date only virtually.”  
“For once I have to agree to your otaku-side, Shion.”, said Syoya while sighing. “But extracting the flowers means you extract the memories connected to the person causing it, doesn’t it? So, Sukai won’t remember what happened and only Ren and Takumi are left with that knowledge.”  
“I have no idea about that disease. I thought it was nothing but a story anyway.” For a while Shosei had believed the same, but today's events had been too real. 

“Don’t you read books? Just because your 2D wives can’t get it, it doesn’t mean it’s not real.” Like on any other, normal day a playful banter started between the two friends.  
“You know I only read books for classes, Syoya.”  
“Nah you don’t. You always copied my answers.”  
“Shosei! Not you, too! I thought we are friends.” 

The events of the day still weighted heavily on the three boys, but it felt good to distract themselves a little. The alcohol in their veins made it a little easier, but when they decided to sleep, so that they could visit Sukai early on the next day, it was impossible for Shosei. As quiet as possible he got up from his futon only to lay down on Sukai’s bed. Having the other one’s smell around him reduced his anxiety regarding everything and made him remember that one night when Shosei had realised his feelings for the other one for the first time. 

_Similar to the gathering earlier, all four boys had gathered in Sukai’s room and enjoyed an evening with junk food, alcohol and some movies. They all had passed their first exams and the holidays were beginning on the next day, so the boys had decided to throw a small party. For some reason, Shosei and Sukai had been by each other’s side the whole night and Shosei’s heart was beating faster than normally. He had blamed it on the alcohol._

_Yet when they were tired finally and the other three were too lazy to return to their respective rooms, Sukai pulled him towards his bed and left the sofa to Syoya and Shion, claiming that the blonde one had the smallest possibility to kick him or steal the blanket during the night._

_He had been right, but the reason for that was that Shosei laid like he was frozen next to him. His heart had turned into the wings of a humming bird and that one of Sukai’s arms was laying around him didn’t help to calm him down. Hence, Shosei looked at the sleeping face of the other one. He looked so soft when he was asleep. His face line was still sharp and masculine, but he looked more relaxed and at peace._

_Earlier Sukai had confessed that he preferred guys and that the memory of a one-night stand was still haunting him. Shion and Syoya had been surprised about that since Sukai seemed to be popular among the girls, but Shosei couldn’t help but wonder who that other guy was. Who had hurt this wonderful person next to him._

_“I wish I could help you forget him.”, he mumbled and shifted closer to the sleeping one. Maybe it was the alcohol that gave him courage in that moment, but Shosei planted a soft kiss on Sukai’s lips.  
Suddenly the brown haired one shifted and pulled Shosei closer to him which shocked the slightly shorter one. But another name escaped the sleeping one’s lips: “Takumi.” _

_From that night onwards, Shosei hated that Takumi guy. He hadn’t met him, he didn’t know, yet he hated him for causing so much pain to Sukai. At the same time, he wanted to ease the pain the other one was feeling, but he was only able to do so as his friend._

_However, when Shosei had met Takumi for the first time during the wedding preparations, he was so different from what the blonde one had imagined him to be. He was a good guy who was initially unaware of the chaos and pain he had caused. Also, Sukai didn’t want anyone to blame Takumi or Ren or anyone but himself for the situation._

Still, Shosei wished to be back at that one night. Maybe if he had acted braver, if he had been vocal about his own feelings, he could have prevented what has happened. He could lay in Sukai’s arms after a happy wedding ceremony while dreaming about their own future one. But it was too late now. 

Shion and Syoya didn’t say anything when they woke up and found Shosei in Sukai’s bed.  
After a breakfast that was made of the leftovers from the day before, the three guys made their way to the hospital. Sukai’s mother had arrived already, but Ren was still missing.  
“He needs some time with his husband. It was traumatising for both of them. But thank you for coming.” 

Initially, nothing happened. Everyone watched over the still unconscious Sukai. The steady heartbeat and the moving of his chest reassured them, but as long as he was still asleep the anxiety didn’t disappear fully. 

When noon just had passed, Ren finally arrived together with Takumi. Both of them looked horribly, eyes red and swollen by tears and underlined by dark circles. Shosei and his friends couldn’t help but pity them and to give the family a moment together, they decided to get some lunch. To their surprise, Sukai’s mother joined them. “Call it motherly instincts but I feel like these three need a moment together.” 

Even more surprising was that she was right ultimately. When the group returned from lunch, they found that Sukai had woken up. Yet the mood of the newlyweds wasn’t much better – much to the confusion of the patient.  
Of course, his mother and friends were over the moon seeing him awake again, but there was a small bitter taste left inside of Shosei. Takumi still had power over him. Only when he visited Sukai had woken up. 

“I’m happy to see you all, too, but what has happened? I feel fine, I only have a sore throat and Ren is so strange.” It was only natural for Sukai to be curious about the circumstances that led to his hospitalisation, but no one in the room knew how to explain the truth.  
“It’s okay... I’m just happy to see you awake and alive.” The older brother tried his best to smile but even someone who didn’t know him could tell that the smile was fake.  
“Ren, what happened? Are you responsible for what happened? And don’t lie to me, I know you.”  
“Since your birth you know me. That’s why I am so sorry what has happened. I should have realised that -” 

“No Ren, stop it.” All of sudden Takumi spoke up. “Everything is my fault. If I hadn’t been such a coward back then, this all wouldn’t have happened.”  
A dark part inside of Shosei’s heart fully agreed to the statement, yet his mind made him feel nothing but pity for the pink haired one. He obviously suffered from that knowledge.  
“What has happened? You are speaking in riddles, but you need to give me a few more hints to solve those. And who are you even?”  
The gasp that came from Sukai’s and Ren’s mother confirmed that she had realised who had caused the disease to develop in that moment, too. 

Meanwhile Shosei felt more uncomfortable each moment and he wanted to leave, but he couldn’t do that. Someone had to be there for Sukai who wasn’t involved in that love triangle – even when it was technically another love triangle in his case but no one but him was aware of that.  
“You nearly choked to death.”, Takumi continued.  
Sukai was about to ask further when his brother added: “Because of flowers.”  
It took about a minute for the information to settle inside of the younger brother’s brain before he whispered. “Hanahaki.” 

The silence that followed was antagonising. No one knew what he should do. The pain in the Ren and Takumi’s face was as obvious as the confusion in Sukai’s one and the mother of the two brothers stood in between not knowing what to do. Shosei knew that she deeply loved her sons and adored Takumi, too, but the revelation was hard to handle.  
At the same time the three friends also didn’t know what to do. Should they fill in Sukai with all they knew about what happened? Or would that cause more pain? Where they even welcome in that moment? 

After what felt like an eternity, it was Sukai who spoke first. “So... I liked you and you didn’t like me back?” There didn’t seem to be any hard feelings in the brown haired one’s voice, there was only confusion.  
“It’s a bit more complicated but yes.”  
“But how -” Before Sukai could finish his next question, his eyes felt on the hands of his brother and Takumi. Ren was gasping the other one’s hand tightly, but their fingers weren't interlocked. “Wait... I remember something. Ren, didn’t you say you had met someone and wanted to marry him?”  
“Yes, that was supposed to happen yesterday.” The older brother’s voice was shaking and Shosei noticed that Takumi finally interlocked their fingers. This small action made a bit of stability return to his voice. “But then you broke down.” 

“Did you know?”  
“That you also like Takumi? No. If I had known it, I promise you I wouldn’t have started dating him.” There was the guilt inside the older brother’s voice again.  
“So, I like him since the time before I studied abroad?”  
The other parties seemed to be more than awkward because of this question, so Shosei decided to answer. “Yes, you’ve met on your farewell party and fell for him.” This seemed to be the best answer who revealed just enough for the other one to understand. “But you had no way to contact him, so when you returned you discovered that your crush is with your brother now.” 

"Oh wow.” Even without telling more details of that night, it seemed to be a lot of information to proceed for Sukai. But due the nature of the disease it was to be expected. He had lost all memory that was connected to the pink haired one. 

Before everything turned more painful, the doctors came for another check and everyone else had to leave the room.  
Shion and Syoya decided to return home. They had classes on the next day and just like everyone else they had felt uneasy the whole time. Shosei couldn’t blame them for this.  
Meanwhile Sukai’s family was in distress. Now that the mother also knew the truth about the love triangle that had caused the whole situation, it made everything more awkward. Meanwhile the couple seemed insecure how to deal with each other. 

It took a while until the doctors left the room and to everyone’s surprise, they delivered the message that Sukai only wanted to see Shosei in the moment. Actually, the blonde one had wanted to leave after hearing that his friend was fine, but of course he couldn’t deny the wish of his friend.  
“Hey, how are you feeling right now?”  
“Physically I’m fine, but otherwise weird. Like so much has happened but I don’t remember it.”  
“I can imagine that.”  
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. My family seems so affected by this, so I don’t want to ask them any further.”  
“Sure, ask me everything.” 

So, Shosei answered all of Sukai’s questions the best he could. Of course, he didn’t know much about all the feelings inside of his friend, but at least he could piece together the events that let up to his breakdown.  
“Oh my god... I knew that Junki’s party idea was the worst.” was the first thing the brown haired one said after all his questions were answered. “But damn, I’ve really hurt them, didn’t I?”  
“Don’t blame yourself. It was just a bunch of misunderstandings mixed with bad luck.” Everyone was blaming themselves in a way, but in the end, it had been a disease and you couldn’t blame someone for a disease, could you? 

“You are truly an angel, Shosei.” Unexpectedly, Shosei was pulled into a hug by his friend which made him loose his balance and falling on him. Sukai just laughed about his and hugged him a little tighter which made the blonde one’s heart speed up. ‘  
“I’m just a friend who wants to help.”  
“And I’m so happy that I’ve met you abroad.” Shosei could feel his face becoming warm, but he couldn't hide it – the only place to hide would have been burying his face into Sukai’s chest which would make everything only worse. Also, his friend didn’t show any sign of letting him go. 

“I’m happy that I’ve met you, too.” Besides everything that has happened recently and besides his one-sided feelings for the brown haired one, Shosei was glad to have met him. Sukai, along with Shion and Syoya, had made the experience of studying abroad more enjoyable and he had found true friends in them.  
“You know. I don’t remember anything, but right now I feel like I’m truly happy for the first time in a while.”  
“Besides all the information you just got?”  
“Yes. Hugging you like this feels good.” 

On the one hand, it felt good for Shosei, too, to be hugged like that, but on the other one it made his heart go crazy and he didn’t want to build his hopes up. He still feared that he could be the next one to catch that disease. “But what are you planning to do now? It’s going to be difficult with your brother.”  
“I know... But I want him to be happy and I’m not mad at Takumi for disappearing. Sure, it was shitty, but maybe it was destiny. Maybe it was destiny’s weird way of making them meet.”  
“How can you be so forgiving? You nearly died.” Sukai’s reaction to everything was nothing but amazing so far. Certainly, Shosei had tried to cheer everyone up in away, but he wasn’t sure whether he would react the same if he was in his friend’s place. 

“Maybe it’s because I’ve forgot all the pain I experienced. But I didn’t forget how Ren talked about Takumi after meeting him. My brother is a very positive person, but I never saw or heard him glowing that much. And Takumi still chose him after I returned, so he must love him, too. And if you love someone, don’t you want them to be happy?” 

Seeing Sukai truly happy was everything Shosei ever wanted. He wanted to be the one who made him happy, but because he had realised Sukai’s heart hadn’t been open for someone else, he had never said anything and stayed as a friend on his side. “Of course.”  
“I have made mistakes, too. I should have talked about the whole thing much sooner and not sulk because he left in the morning. But the past is past and we can’t change it anymore.”  
But then again Sukai was right. They couldn’t do anything about what has happened anymore. 

What mattered was that Sukai had survived everything and that there was a future to think about. Shosei had a future with him – no matter if the other one would eventually return his feelings or not. Yet it was still too early to talk about his feelings. Sukai was still in the middle of recovering. His lungs might be healed and his heart in a way, too, but no one knew the long-term effects of everything. “So, do you have any idea how to proceed?” 

“I think when I’m released from the hospital in a few days I will talk to them, that I don’t blame them and they shouldn’t feel guilty. That I want them to be happy.”  
“Sounds good.”  
“I hope that I didn’t damage their young marriage too much.”  
“It will either make them come out stronger and show that destiny truly intended them to be together or the opposite.”  
“Hopefully it’s the first option.” 

It took nearly a month until Shosei was able to see Sukai again. He had to attend classes in his hometown while thinking of a new project to hand in – his original one had been the ceremony but he had barely taken pictures that day. They had stayed in contact via chat apps, but seeing Sukai standing at their meeting point finally confirmed that he had recovered. His face colour had returned to his original shade and his daily clothes underlined his physic much better than the hospital ones. In some way, it felt like a date, because it was just the two of them – Shion and Syoya were busy with their assignments. 

Sukai greeted him with a hug and together they went to a café to catch up on everything they hadn’t shared virtually. Shosei was curious how everything has developed, but he didn’t want to sound too nosy, thus he waited for his friend to start with the topic.  
“You know, I've met Ren for the first time after the talk yesterday.” As Sukai had announced in the hospital, right after his discharge from the hospital he had talked with his family about everything that happened, but it came as a surprise that he hadn’t seen his brother since then. The brothers always have seemed so close. 

“Why did it take so long?”  
“I wanted to give them time to heal and to figure themselves out.”  
“Seriously, you should be called an angel. You are truly too nice.” Shosei was still amazed how mature and forgiving Sukai had handled everything.  
“Nah, you have the looks of an angel plus the personality of one.” The compliment made the blonde one’s face heat up a little. “My mom says that by the way too. She can’t stop talking about you. You must have left quite the impression on her.” 

“Oh really?” Sure, he had talked with her in the hospital, but he didn’t expect that at all. He just did what a friend would do, he had assumed.  
“Yes. Anyway, Ren suggested that we should get help from someone professional to work on that. I might not remember anything and thus I don’t remember any hard feelings, but if it helps him, I’ll join that.” 

“You are so mature, Sukai. What happened to my friend who loves to tease others but hates milk?” The mood seemed to become heavier, thus Shosei tried to light up the atmosphere a little.  
“I don’t think I’ve changed much. But Ren is determined to become happy with Takumi and that feelings seems mutual, so I want to support them.”  
“You want to make the people you love happy.” That had been Sukai’s words already back in the hospital and he still seemed to want to stay true to his words.

“I don’t love Takumi anymore. Well, at least not like I used to. He is still a stranger to me, but he seems like a good guy. I think we can become good friends.”  
“I hope you won’t become better friends than us.”  
“Never. You are someone special.” Once again Shosei’s face became a little warmer. “But it’s something important for the future, too. I don’t want any future family gatherings to become as awkward as it is now.” 

“You are so selfless. After all that happened you could allow yourself to be a little more selfish and no one would say something.” The whole time Sukai had only thought about others. He hadn’t said anything to prevent his brother’s happiness from shattering the whole time. He had endured a nearly deadly disease quietly and even now he was trying his best to repair everything for the sake of others. He was someone amazing in Shosei’s eyes and he couldn’t help but fall deeper for his friend. 

“Who says I’m not selfish right now? I love my brother and I don’t want to lose him in my life.” Sometimes Shosei envied the bond Sukai and his brother had. He wasn’t that close with his older sisters. “Also, I like to hear you praising me for this.”  
“What?”  
“It feels good to hear how you are talking about my actions. Shion and Syoya just call me an idiot. I know they don’t mean it, but your praises and encouraging words feel nice.”  
“Ah it’s nothing.” 

Actually, it wasn’t nothing. To hear that his words seemed to be meaningful to Sukai, meant a lot to Shosei. Just like his friend wanted to make his brother happy, Shosei wanted to make him happy, hence hearing he was able to do that in a way felt wonderful.  
“You know what my mom also said? She wants us to date and I don’t think it’s a bad idea.” For a second, Shosei wasn’t sure whether his friend was just teasing him – those flirty teasing always had been one of his strengths – but Sukai’s smile was sincere in that moment. 

“It’s too early. You nearly died because of love and you suffered a whole year before. You should enjoy your life without thinking about that topic.” As happy as Shosei was about having the approval of Sukai’s mother already, all the events had affected him, too. He wanted Sukai to enjoy his life freely.  
“I didn’t say I want to start dating you right now. But I'm enjoying my time with you and let’s give it a chance. Let us just see how everything develops. No drunk hook-ups, but us spending time together, let it be just the two of us, or with our friends or with my family.” 

It sounded like the dream Shosei had dreamed for a year, yet everything that had happened made him hesitate to agree fully. “Sukai, I don’t want you to rush things, just because everyone wants to see you happy with someone now, too.”  
“I’m not rushing things. I thought about it for quite some time. But each time someone mentioned my happiness, I remembered our hug in the hospital. I was happy in that moment. You made me happy. But if you don’t feel the same...” 

“No, it’s not like that. I was happy too and I truly want you to be happy, but after everything that had happened... I’m worried.” Breaking Sukai’s heart again was the last thing that Shosei wanted to happen. He truly wanted to make him happy.  
“Then let’s take it slowly. At our own pace. We don’t need to marry in a year like my brother.”  
“No thanks. I have enough of marriage ceremonies after that.”  
“I don’t remember anything, but yeah, let’s leave that to the hopeless romantic my brother is.” 

Without a warning, Sukai moved from his place next to Shosei and hugged him. “Let’s try it. I’ve got a second chance and I want to spend it with you.”  
“But don’t try too hard to make it happen. It's okay if we stay just friends. I just want you to be happy.” There was still the part of Shosei that feared that he could develop Hanahaki, too, if everything failed, but they’ve been through worse and Shosei survived that with the least damage. Maybe that’s what destiny had in its cards for him.  
“I am happy with you right now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Actually, I never intended to write a sequel to Lmbtftbyh (damn that title is far too long), but then again I'm a sucker for happy endings and there was quite a demand...  
> I hope you enjoyed this story also!  
> See you~


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